Program Overview

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Music and Philosophy, MA

Introduction

Music at Aberdeen offers the opportunity to learn, compose and perform with world-renowned composers, conductors, musicologists and researchers working in all genres, styles and periods. You will grow as a musician and performer while seeking to understand the world around us and how we might answer the Big Questions that humans have wrestled with throughout the ages. You will gain the strong intellectual skills sought by employers in many fields and transferable to a wide range of careers.

Study Information

At a Glance

• Learning Mode: On Campus Learning
• Degree Qualification: MA
• Duration: 48 months
• Study Mode: Full Time
• Start Month: September
• Location of Study: Aberdeen
• UCAS Code: VW53

Philosophy attempts to answer questions such as: What is knowledge? What is the nature of truth? Why should we act morally? Philosophy is just as much the study of reasoning and argument as it is the application of thought to specific problems.

What makes Philosophy at Aberdeen especially attractive is the breadth of courses, the user-friendly materials you will use and the experts who will teach you. In your first year alone, you can study topics such as How Should One Live? Controversial Questions, and Experience, Knowledge and Reality.

In Music Studies, you can develop your interests and abilities in music through courses in performance, composition, theory, musicianship and history of music, taking advantage of the outstanding quality of our teachers, instruments and facilities and many opportunities to perform.

In addition to a career in music, the academic skills you will develop will open opportunities in education, history and heritage, or applied in another sector such as media or business and internationally.

Aberdeen Global Scholarship

The University of Aberdeen is delighted to offer eligible self-funded international on-campus undergraduate students a £6,000 scholarship for every year of their programme.

What You'll Study

Year 1

• Compulsory Courses:
  • Academic Writing for Language & Literature (AW1008)
  • Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen (PD1002)
  • Experience, Knowledge and Reality (PH1023)
  • Introduction to Music Studies (MU1026)
• Optional Courses:
  • Plus 30 credit points from the following courses:
    • Performing and Composing 1 (MU1027)
    • Digital Musicianship: Music Making in the Digital Age (MU1058)
    • Performing and Composing 2 (MU1527)
    • Introduction to Music Theory and Harmony (MU1557)
    • Writing About Music (MU1528)
  • Plus 30 credit points from the following courses:
    • Controversial Questions (PH1027)
    • How Should One Live? (PH1522)
    • Logic and Argument (PH1518)
    • Environmental Ethics (PH1537)
  • Plus further courses of choice to make up 120 credit points.

Year 2

• Optional Courses:
  • 45 credits of Level 2 Music courses, including at least 15 credits from the following courses:
    • Analysing Music (MU2055)
    • Introduction to Ethnomusicology (MU2057)
    • Global Music History (MU2558)
  • The following course is an approved option that may be taken as credit towards the Music component:
    • Scottish Folklore and Oral Traditions (EF2501)
  • Plus 45 credit points from level 2 courses in Philosophy.
  • Plus further courses of choice to make up 120 credit points.

Year 3

• Optional Courses:
  • 60 credits from Level 3 Music courses, which may include the following approved options:
    • Film and Music (FS3017)
    • Spanish Identity through Music, Film and Visual Culture (FS3018)
    • Music, Health and Wellbeing (Public Engagement) (ME33PE)
    • Eurovision: Media, Memory, Euphoria & Identities (FS3535)
  • Plus 60 credit points from level 3 courses in Philosophy.

Year 4

• Optional Courses:
  • Select ONE of the following:
    • PH402D Dissertation in Philosophy
    • MU4049 Dissertation in Music (30 cr)
  • Plus further credits in Music and Philosophy to total 60 credits in each discipline.
  • A minimum of 90 credits must be taken at Level 4.
  • The following courses are approved options that may be taken as credit towards the Music component:
    • FS4017 Film and Music
    • FS4018 Spanish Identity through Music, Film and Visual Culture
    • EL45HC Literature and Music

How You'll Study

Learning Methods

• Individual Projects
• Lectures
• Research
• Tutorials

Assessment Methods

Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods:

• coursework such as essays and reports completed throughout the course;
• practical assessments of the skills and competencies they learn on the course; and
• written examinations at the end of each course.

The exact mix of these methods differs between subject areas, years of study and individual courses.

Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.

Why Study Music and Philosophy?

• The prestigious Ogston Music Prize, and a range of scholarships and special support for students with outstanding talent.
• Three state-of-the-art Electroacoustic Composition studios as well as Music Technology workstations.
• Aberdeen City is known as a lively centre for music, with links to the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Aberdeen City Music School, North East of Scotland Music School, and the region's growing Sound Festival.
• Studying Philosophy will change how you think about things and how you approach life's challenges
• The Centre for the History and Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine acts as the focus for research, teaching and engagement in the history, philosophy, ethics, literature and museology of science, technology and medicine.
• The spectacular, award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library offers superb collections, including early printed works of natural philosophy and medicine, the archives of Thomas Reid, and records of the Aberdeen Philosophical Society.

Entry Requirements

Qualifications

• SQA Highers:
  • Standard: AABB
  • Minimum: BBB
  • Adjusted: BB
• A LEVELS:
  • Standard: BBB
  • Minimum: BBC
  • Adjusted: CCC
• International Baccalaureate: 32 points, including 5, 5, 5 at HL.
• Irish Leaving Certificate: 5H with 3 at H2 AND 2 at H3.

English Language Requirements

• IELTS Academic: OVERALL - 6.0 with: Listening - 5.5; Reading - 5.5; Speaking - 5.5; Writing - 6.0
• TOEFL iBT: OVERALL - 78 with: Listening - 17; Reading - 18; Speaking - 20; Writing - 21
• PTE Academic: OVERALL - 59 with: Listening - 59; Reading - 59; Speaking - 59; Writing - 59
• Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency: OVERALL - 169 with: Listening - 162; Reading - 162; Speaking - 162; Writing - 169

Fees and Funding

• EU / International students: £20,800
• Home Students: £1,820
• England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland: £9,535

Careers

There are many opportunities at the University of Aberdeen to develop your knowledge, gain experience and build a competitive set of skills to enhance your employability. This is essential for your future career success. The Careers and Employability Service can help you to plan your career and support your choices throughout your time with us, from first to final year – and beyond.